Winging It
by Daine's Twin
Summary: The story of Roald and Shinko. The first chapter starts on their wedding day. CHAPTER 7! Please R&R.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places they all belong to Tamora Pierce.

Chapter 1- Wedding

July, 460 HE

The priest's voice rang out for all to hear as he placed his hands together and uttered the final words of the ceremony, "So mote it be." The great hall and what seemed like, and probably was, the whole city of Corus echoed with cheers as the newly married couple breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face the courtiers who had gathered to be present at the wedding. Roald and Shinko had finally married and the war seemed to be turning more in Tortall's favour at last.

It was late that night when the newly weds were finally able to finish their royal duties and leave their reception. They leaned on each other, quite exhausted after the days grand events, as they made their way up to the rooms that they would now share.

Roald made conversation about how overdressed everyone seemed, compared to the 'quiet gatherings' that had been held just a few days before (they were called 'quiet gatherings' because it was considered inappropriate to hold balls and parties when men were still away at war). Shinko commented on how she really should have paid more attention to Yuki, who was missing Neal and their other friends who were still up north, though she never really had a chance to break free from the constant group of well-wishers who had surrounded Roald and herself throughout the evening.

It wasn't until they reached their door that they realised that it was in fact now _their_ door and that, with all of the planning and parties and worrying about everything running without a hitch at the wedding and the reception, that neither of them had even thought about what would happen when they were released from their carefully scheduled duties and were for the first time ever really _alone _together.

Roald slowly unlocked the door and moved aside to let his bride enter first, Shinko passed him with her head down and her cheeks burning a very un-Yamani crimson. As the door closed, Roald and Shinko stood looking at each other with uncertain smiles feeling more awkward than they did when they first met.

Some things simply could not and should not be planned. Sometimes it's more fun to wing it.

**_This is my first ever story so please review and let me know what you think. Daine's Twin_**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or places they all belong to Tamora Pierce.

**Chapter 2:**Eyes in the Mirror

They had only been standing there a second but, in their minds, the weight of their silence seemed to be crushing. Shinko was the first to break the silence. "Yuki and Haname told me that she had been working with your brothers to decorate these rooms. They've done a lovely job," she said as she turned to survey the work of her friends and her new brothers-in-law.

Ladies Yukimi noh Daimoru and Haname hoh Ajikuro were the only ladies from the delegation that accompanied Princess Shinkokami to Tortall who would be staying with her after the wedding festivities had died down. They had indeed worked for months with the Tortallan princes, Liam and Jasson, to make sure that the six rooms that the newly weds would have for their own suited Roald's and Shinko's tastes perfectly.

The sitting room had comfortable furniture and a dinner table that made it suitable to hold small parties in, one of the walls held bookcases full of the prince's and princess's favourite reading material which gave the room an intimate and warm feeling. Another wall had glass doors that led out onto a balcony that overlooked the courtyard of the royal wing. It was painted sea foam green, one of Shinkokami's favourite colours. There was a study, painted in the Conté blue, that contained more serious scrolls and books, all of them had something to do with ruling the kingdom.

Past those two rooms were the bedroom, bathroom and dressing room. These rooms showed more of a mixture of Tortallan and Yamani styles. They were decorated with thick rugs and exquisitely carved furniture from the north, Woven wall hangings from the south and Yamani water colours and sketches. There was also a small alter devoted to both of the countries gods.

Roald and Shinko surveyed the rooms now, in what each hoped appeared to the other as quiet appreciation and not an attempt to put off having to go to bed. Their eyes passed over, but did not really take in, the weapons rack where Shinko's glaives where hung next to Roald's swords, the soft couches that were placed near the large fireplace and the the cabinet that held cups and glasses for the two types of tea and the liquor that were set on top.

It was the sight of there bed clothes, laid neatly on on top of the bed, that made them realise that the could 'appreciate' no longer.

As Roald looked at there nightshirts laying next to each other he thought to himself that he and Shinko were really still too much of strangers to one another for this to be right. If they were truly ready for this wedding they would surely feel more prepared.

Shinko had been told all of her life what her husband would expect on her wedding night and until now thought that she would be ready, but as he stood there in the dimly lit room she felt like the only thing she was ready to do now to turn and run. She knew that he would probably be thinking similar thoughts but just in case he was not, she decided that if she moved first and made her intentions clear to him.

With very business-like movements, she picked up her nightshirt. "I'm exhausted, who would have thought that today would be so tiring?" she paused outside of the dressing room door,"I should only take a moment to change. Why don't you add another piece of wood to the fire?" and with that she turned and entered the dressing room, she did not close the door as she thought this would be outright rude but instead she moved to one side so that she would be out of sight.

Roald breathed a small sigh of relief that Shinko did not believe, as many did, that it was bad luck for them not to 'start working on an heir', so to speak, on their wedding night.

He was walking back across the room from the fireplace when he thought he saw movement in the corner of his eye and turned to look. The movement that had caught his attention was a reflection in a mirror. A reflection that took his breath away and made him even more aware of how awkward this night was turning out to be.

The full-length mirror in their dressing room was on an angel and from where the Roald now stood he could clearly see Shinko's every movement. He gazed , absolutely awestruck, as Shinko removed her wedding outfit to reveal a smooth and toned body. His conscience told him that he should look away but his eyes were incapable of heeding the order until Shinko started to pull on her nightshirt.

As she emerged from the dressing room, Shinko smiled at Roald, who appeared to be walking back from the fireplace, slightly flushed from the heat of the flames. Roald returned the smile and slowly collected his nightshirt and entered the dressing room.

He had just managed to wrestle his way out of his elaborate dress tunic and shirt and was arguing with himself over whether or not it was wrong for him to have seem Shinko,as he just had, when he realised that when he looked at the full-length mirror from where he stood he could see Shinko as she examined a water colour that hung on the wall next to the dressing room door.

"Shinko."

The word was murmured softly before he could stop himself, but his wife herd him and turned to look through the door where she expected to see him standing, only to find herself looking at his reflection.

Her eyes moved up his body, from his strong legs that were still hidden by his hose to his bare, muscular upper body. It was then that the copper dropped. **_He_** had been standing **_here_** when she had finished changing.

Shinko stood rooted to the spot as her gaze moved further upwards. Roald stood completely still. Their eyes met through the mirror.

_**I hope that didn't suck too much. Please review and let me know. Daine's Twin.**_

**_Thank you to my first ever reviewer, AngelinaJohnson-Weasley._**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters or places they all belong to Tamora Pierce.

**A/N. _If it's written in italics, and it isn't a note from me,_ _then it is a character's thoughts._**_ **They are written as if someone else is talking to the character because that's how I tend to think to myself.**_

A majority of the booksthat Shinko had read in the past five years focussed mainly on proper etiquette in just about every situation imaginable. _Of course the authors of those books never included this situation. It's too painfully awkward to be imagined._

"Shinko..." Roald didn't know what he was going to say, he just knew he couldn't stand the painful silence. Thankfully he didn't have to think on his feet.

"I'm... I'm going to bed. I'm absolutely exhausted and I want to go to training tomorrow. A day's training can be the difference between life and death and I don't want to leave the group with uneven numbers." Shinko blathered on as she moved over to the large bed, wishing desperately for her blush to subside.

She knew, as did Roald (who had quickly finished dressing and was looking as flustered as she did, not that Shinko noticed.), that they should be talking and handling the situation as mature adults, but the thought of doing so made them feel as scared as small children facing a spidren attack.

Shinko was in the process of getting into the right hand side of the already turned down bed when she realised something," Um... Roald? Which side of the bed do you want? I mean it makes no difference to me, so if you have a preference..." _Oh gods. Why did you have to hop into bed first? That was the most embarrassing question to have to ask! How could you be so ignorant as to not think ahead to what should happen tonight? and how to act!_

"Ah, no I don't have a preference so you welcome to choose a side."

"Oh , well thank you. I'll stay on the right side then if you don't mind." _Could this get any more awkward? _"Goodnight then Roald." Shinko knew that she couldn't possibly get to sleep knowing that he was going to be in the bed beside her, but she did her best impression of someone surrendering themselves to the Dream God's creations.

Roald gazed at her for a few minutes before he too got into the bed, fully aware that he was in for a sleepless night.

_**I'm really sorry this is so short, I wanted it to be much longer but my muse went on strike and my beta wanted another chapter up. Please review, if you don't then Uusoae, Goddess of Chaos lives inside of you (modified version of my beta's words) . Daine's Twin**_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters or places they all belong to Tamora Pierce.

**Chapter Four**

It was only out f habit that Shinko's eyes fluttered open before dawn, she was exhausted. Shinko had spent most of the night concentrating on lying still and appearing to be asleep, so as not to attract attention from her new husband who was doing a similar sleep imitation next to her. They had both drifted off to an uneasy sleep a few hours before and now Shinko had to raise her weary, sleep-deprived self out of bed and off to her early morning glaive practice.

She moved slowly and with the same grace as any well trained Yamani woman, trying not to disturb Roald. She changed into her training clothes, making sure that the dressing room door was firmly closed before she removed her nightgown, the embarrassment and awkwardness of the previous night still very freash in her mind.

A small sigh of relief escaped her as she collected her glaive from the weapons rack and moved silently out of the room. Roald had not stirred.

Shinko was lad that everyone else in the morning practice group had stayed up ater than usual to enjoy the celebrations and that, as a result, they were in no mood to try to extract details from the newly-wed or notice her rather forced apparently carefree mood. It was not until they had almost finished warming down that Shinko realised that her friend Yukimi's silence was caused by more than lack of sleep.

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Roald jerked awake at the soft click of the dressing room door closing. His first instinct was to reach for a weapon to defend himself against the intruder in his rooms. He knew it couldn't be a servant, his parents had raised him to care for his own room and possessions and only let the servants in his room to clean when he was present and able to help.

Roald slid his legs to the side of the bed and placed his hand behind himself to push himself up, but stopped abruptly. The place where his hand was resting was not where he had been lying and yet the bed was warm from body heat. It was then that he remembered that he was a married man and in new rooms that he would share with his wife for the rest of their living days. It was also then that he realised that it was before dawn and Shinko was heading off to her morning glaive practice.

Roald was exhausted and knew that Shinko was expecting him to still be asleep and pretending to be so would allow him to avoid yet another embarrassing and awkward situation.

Roald sank down into the sheets again and did his best to appear to be in the realm of the Dream King.

He heard her, just barely, as she moved and collected her glaive, he heard her pause at the door before she closed it. His mind showed him a picture of her as he imagined her to look at that moment, beautiful and graceful and yet fragile at the same time, like a glass sculpture.

**_She is a priceless work of art, sculpted by the parents of the gods, because gods do make mistakes, but Shinkokami is perfect._** A voice in his mind whispered to him.

He heard the door close, heard her sigh on the other side of the door before she made her way out of their rooms.

**_Yes, a priceless work of art._** And the prince let out a sigh of longing, a loning he could feel in his very bones.

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_**I hope that last bit counts as fluff, review and let me know. I'm trying to make this as long and awkward as possible so that when they they do get things straight there can be lots of fluff and it wont seem too sudden or too much. Thanx to all my reviewers, you make me smile and dance like I'm sober (personal joke with my beta, I am sober).**_

_**Daine's Twin**_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own any characters or places they all belong to Tamora Pierce.

**Chapter Five**

Shinkokami's Yamani mask betrayed her. Her eyes widened and filled with pain, as she saw the unmistakable tear tracks down her friend's face. She felt selfish and cruel for not realising earlier that her Yuki was hurting so badly.

When they had travelled to Tortall Yukimi was often the only person who could understand Shinko's moods and had spent more than a dutiful amount of time trying to soothe her fears of meeting her husband and living in a strange new land. Shinko new that her friend was now feeling the opposite. All Yuki wanted was for Neal to come back from the war so that she could be settled with her husband. Shinko had been thrilled that her friend had managed to find love in her new home and envied the way that she seemed to know Neal inside out, from his favourite poets to his opinions on trade agreements with the Copper Isles.

When the war was announced officially and both all of the young knights had been sent to the border the Yamani women had spent much of their time together, planning for their weddings and for whichever parts of their futures could be planned for. Shinkokami had been so happy to learn that after her friend Kel's defeat of Scanra's most dangerous mage the threat from the north was considered far less and that Roald would be able to return home earlier than they had thought possible for their wedding.

Yukimi, of course, had been glad for her friend so much so that she hadn't wanted to spoil Shinko's joy by sharing her own fears that Nealan would not been returning home in the near future or, maybe, at all. It was clear now that these thoughts had been eating away at her friend to the point where Shinko could see how her clothes hung on a much smaller frame and her eyes had lost their joking sparkle.

Shink was so focussed on her friend's pain that for the briefest of moments her natural reactions were put on hold and she didn't see Thayet's glaive swing at her mid section. It connected with her hip with enough force to knock her down, clutching her injured side.

"Oh! Shinko, I'm so sorry! I thought you would block that! It's part of the normal warm down, but of course you're tired, I shouldn't have hit so hard. I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" Thayet babbled like a first year page who had just spilt wine on the training master's lap.

It hadn't been a very painful hit but the shock of contact made the princess stagger and let out a gasp. "Really Thayet, it's okay, I can walk it off."

"If your sure you don't need a healer. Of course, you go and I'll have a servant take a breakfast for you and Roald up to your rooms." Shinko smiled at her mother in law and turned and looked at Yuki, "Will you come with me? Just for company? You're almost done here anyway." It wasn't really a question. Yuki followed her friend and future queen obediently out of the practice court and up into the main buildings. They didn't speak but the tension hung in the air between them until they reached Yuki's rooms and settled themselves with some freshly brewed tea.

"I'm so sorry."

The words were so quiet that Yukimi almost didn't hear them.

"I should have been a better friend to you, I was too caught up in my own little world and now I fear that you will not want trust..."

"Your Highness! Shinkokami, I say this to you as both a servant and a friend. You came here to be married to a man you do not know, a man you did not think that you could ever be friends with, let alone fall in love. You came as a symbol of lasting peace between Tortall and the Yamani Islands. And as if that is not enough to put on your shoulders you came expecting to be able to look after me! Well I never expected it of you and you are being a silly little girl if you think that I would hold your happiness against you. I will always come to you if I need you Shinko and I know that if I had asked it of you, you would have been holding my hand for the last couple of months, but I am a big girl now and I have to let your duty come before my childish fears." Yuki tone was harsh as she interrupted her friend, but tears were rolling down her smooth face as she spoke.

Shinko was crying as well, her mask had slipped, " I never wanted my duty to come first." The two friends hugged for a long while and cried until they seemed empty.

"You're wrong you know, we don't love each other, not in the comfortable 'I know your favourite colour way'. Maybe we never will."

"You will. You do already, it's just hiding."

"I will have to look under the bed when I get back then."

The two women laughed at this and went on to discuss less emotionally draining topics.

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**I had written twice as much as this but it just wouldn't flow! I am so sorry that it has taken me forever to update, but I have been really ill for the past year or so and I tried to make up for it by posting shorter stories and fluff. **

**Please review and let me know if this should continue, if I don't have fans then I might just leave it.**

_**Daine's Twin**_


	6. Chapter 6

**chapter 6 **

Roald emerged from bed shortly after Shinko left their rooms, he would have risen immediately but didn't want to be put in an awkward position if shinko had forgotten something and returned. He felt weighed down, like he was sporting a aggressive flu that made him ache all over. No one ever told him it would be like this. Before he had met Shinkokami he had been warned to not to expect friendship or anything less than forced civility or tears and hatred. No one had warned him that they could be friends before they married and then have that suddenly snatched away in the moment it took for the significance of _that_ door to sink in.

He wished he could go back to the week before when they had sat together in the temple of the Great Mother Goddess. They sat in a comfortable silence, it had become their routine since Roald had returned home from war, they would meet after Shink had changed out of her practice clothes and eat breakfast with Roalds family or close friends. Then they would walk together down to the Temple District, Roald enjoyed walking together, it reminded him of his wanderings around Pirates Swoop with Kalasin an Thom when their lives had still been innocent and uncomplicated by war and responsibilities. He and Shinko would give offerings and prayers to Mirthros for Tortall's strength and success in war, they would do the same at the Black God's shrine for the brave men and women who would never return home to families that loved them and then they would settle in the temple of the Goddess.

They silently prayed to Her to give all healers strength ad compassion to heal all the injured they came across, whether they wear the right uniform or not. They prayed for the new mothers that would have no husband or lover to share in the blessings and burdens that came with the child and they prayed for those who would return, whose memories would haunt them for the rest of their lives. And then they would sit. Sit until the noon bells rang and their stomachs demanded food. Sometimes when they sat, they would lean into each other or one shy hand would reach for the other's.

Those silences had been so comfortable and now just a week later he feigned sleep to avoid one person who had vowed to be with him for the rest of their lives. He cringed at the thought of their future, they had a marriage contract that required heirs and the sooner they came about the better their political future looked, it was only their personal future that could be at risk of withering and dying.

He knew he should be mature, that he and Shinko should sit down and talk, but his insides knotted at the thought and he could only imagine how it would feel to suggest such an awkward thing to Shink, to _his wife._ It felt so odd for that to suddenly be hanging between them, like they were again meeting for the first time.

Roald pondered this for a moment, '_Maybe it is the same?'_ he thought, '_Maybe it will just go away like it did back then and we will be able to laugh again in weeks time, maybe even play-fight over who gets which side of the bed'. _

Images invaded Roald's mind, he and Shinko rolling over covers in their night shirts, her body leaning over his as she throws back her head to laugh, her silky long hair falling about them like a shield, then he would flip her and try to gain the upper hand by driving her insane with slow barely-there kisses along her jaw and neck. They would melt together as lips found lips and kisses became like raw passion spilling from their rapidly warming bodies. He could almost feel her hands in his hair, fingers massaging in a forceful dance. He wanted to know what it would be like to slide a hand under her shirt and feel the smoothness that he craved to know, he wondered if he would make her gasp or shiver.

He was jolted abruptly out of his fantasy by an efficient knock at the apartment's main door.

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**Please review. Thank you to all my reviewers that wished me well, my illness is something I will have for the rest of my life, but I am learning how to cope and should be updating more often. I'm sorry this was so short, I wrote it when I should have been working on a very important English assignment.**

**Daine's Twin**


	7. Chapter 7

Roald opened the door to find a servant with a cart full of covered food trays. The girl bowed to him, "Excuse me Your Highness, but Her Majesty sent me to set up a breakfast for you and Her Highness Shinkokami and to tell you that the princess should be returning soon."

Roald had sincerely hoped that it was Shinko, forgetting how to get past the magical charms on the outer door, then they could laugh about it like they always did when it came to Shinko's complete denial of how much easier her life would be if she had a firmer grasp on what Tortallan's used their magic for. The Yamani people did not focus their energy on leaning about more than basic magical uses if they were not gifted themselves.

Ah...Thank you. Please, come in. You may set it up in here." He pointed in the direction of the table as his mind raced through what he and Shinkokami could possibly talk about over breakfast.

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He heard her as she entered their rooms, but showed no signs of this.

Her heart thumped like a war drum in her chest, her eyes were glued to his lonely figure on their balcony. When he held himself like that it wasn't with the regal grace of a prince charming, in Shinko's mind it would always be her brother with his face swollen from the fists that had pummelled him, trying to explain to her that because of what their sister had done she would have to give up the pretty things and the play dates with friends to make sure that the Emperor's attention and that of his inner-circle bully boys was not drawn to the family. When she saw him like that a warmth of protection and love that she had felt that day filled her heart.

As quietly as she could a limp, she placed her glaive in it's position on the rack and adjusted her practice clothes in the mirror. She knew she couldn't stay inside for too long or he might come looking for her or, even worse in her mind, _not come looking for her._

She tried to walk as if she wasn't in pain as she moved out to the balcony. Roald was watching some young servant boys having a scuffle in the courtyard below, obviously unaware of any noble presence watching from above them.

She stood in the doorway, a little more than unsure of herself. Roald sensing her troubled gaze turned to face her and bowed to her in a fluid and graceful motion. "Good morning Princess. Our breakfast has arrived already as you can see, please feel free to start without me if you are hungry, I'll only be a moment, I'm just going to send them on their way before they wake any one else up."

"I might just get changed in to something more suitable," her face burned at these words, "I may try on that dress that Lady Alanna had made for me, you said that you liked the colour."

"Oh yes, it is a very fine dress."

The formality and detachment of the conversation worried her. She had hoped that she he would say something that would make them go back to normal.

She changed and returned to the combined sitting and dinning room to find Roald leaning against a bookshelf flicking through a small leather bound classic. He slid it back into it's place as she approached the table and he moved forward to sit at his own place across from her own. They silently filled their plates, passing each other favourite foods and moving the unwanted items to the side. It was a shadow of their old comfortable rhythm that did not spread to their conversation.

"Did the boys move on for you?"

"Not for me, they unfortunately woke the Earl of Latesrock."

The mood remained stiff and they shifted in and out of an uncomfortable silence as they ate. Roald stole glances at shinko who could barely lift her eyes from her plate.

He took in the way that her smooth hair stayed tucked in place behind her ears and how the silk of her dress was perfectly fitted to her torso. He was glad that the dress looked so good on her, when he originally passed on her measurements and the design onto his aunt he had his doubts about his choice in fashion. His father had suggested the gift of a dress for Shinko and that it should come from his much loved aunt. It was a fairly intimate gift by Yamani standards and would have been inappropriate coming from him, but was a symbol of sincere welcome coming from a member of the family. It was also more appropriate for it to come from an aunt since the dress had hidden expansion hems in all the right places to make room for a baby.

Roald smiled to himself and clutched to the thought that one day he would hold their child in his arms. He had already commissioned a set of toy soldiers from a toy-maker in the Copper Isles that would be complete with mounted officers and allied Immortals. He had planned everything out so carefully and yet it all seemed to be crumbling on the weakened base of his relationship with Shinkokami. He wanted so badly to say what was on his mind straight to her face, but he had never spoken so freely with her and didn't want to seem forceful. He wanted them to be comfortable again and it would take time for them to regain that, but as long as he did it the proper way he didn't care.

The plan was set in the stone of his mind, Roald would win back Shinko's feelings and trust and he would do it by courting her. Not so easy for a prince that never learnt to play the game of lust and and hand-picked roses.


End file.
